Ball retriever



I. MACDONALD BALL RETRIEVER Jan, 14, 1935.

Filed May 4, 1954 INVENTOR Jan Macdona Z66 BY .m l -Pt..-

' ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to golfing accessories and is directed particularly to golf ball retrievers and is an improvement on my golf ball retriever described in United States Patent No. 1,937,828 issued December 5, 1933.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a tubular golf ball retriever unitary in struc ture adapted to retrieve golf balls from the ground without possibility of damaging the spring elemerits disposed at the lower end of the tubular retriever as it contacts the ground. It is my object to construct this tubular golf ball retriever so that the spring elements in no way contact the ground when the lower end of the retriever is pushed over a golf ball and comes into engagement with the ground.

A further object of my invention is to construct a tubular golf ball retriever with a plurality of spring elements mounted on the lower end of the retriever tube for radial movement but provided with means to limit said movement in order that the springs cannot in any way catch on the retriever tube and fail to return to normal position after a golf ball has passed by the springs and into the tube.

Another object of my invention is to provide a unitary means in connection with the upper end of the tubular retriever to prevent discharge of the balls from the tube except when such means is manipulated by the user.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a foreshortened front View of my golf ball retriever illustrating in outline the position of the golf balls within the retriever.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section of the lower portion of the device illustrating the springs in normal position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section of the lower portion of the device illustrating the position of the springs as a golf ball passes by said springs into the retriever tube.

Figure 4 is an end view of the device taken from the top.

Referring now more particularly to the charactors of reference on the drawing, the device comprises a tube I preferably constructed of sheet metal and provided with a slot 2 extending the full length of the tube I. An outer annular band 3 holds the upper end of the tube at the desired size and against expansion. An inner annular band 4 serves alike purpose on the lower end of the tube. A semi-circular band (not shown) is secured to the edges of the tube intermediate its ends in order that the slot 2 may not vary in width due to expansion or distortion of the sheet metal from which the tube is constructed. The internal diameter of the tube is slightly greater than the diameter of standard golf balls 5, as illustrated in outline in Figure l.

' The lower end of the tube I is provided about its periphery with a plurality of notches 6 cut up from the bottom of said tube I. Longitudinally extending strap or leaf springs l are secured at their upper ends to the outer and lower side of the tube l. The lower ends of said springs l are bent as at la to form fingers 9 which project inwardly through the notches 6, short of the end of the tube, at an upward and acute angle to the peripheral plane of the tube and also at an acute angle to the spring leaves I.

These fingers 9 are provided with short upturned tips In at such an angle as to substantially parallel and contact the inner side of the tube above the notches as at H, Figure 3, when the springs are expanded as a ball enters the tube.

A semi-circular bail l2 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the tube is turnably secured by the rivets l3 to the upper end of said tube in order that the bail may be turned down as shown in Figure 4. The band 4 is capable of but resists turning, so that it will remain in an upstanding ball retaining position at all times except when turned down as above described.

In operation, the device is held in one hand and its lower end placed over a ball lying. on the ground. A downward pressure on the tube causes'the curved surface of the ball to exert an outward pressure on the fingers 9 which then move outward against the tension of the spring 45 I and allow the ball to pass into the tube. As the ball contacts the fingers 9 and presses the springs 1 outward the tips I!) on the fingers 9 engage and substantially parallel the inner side of the tube above the notches, as indicated at 50 H in Figure 3. This prevents the fingers 9 from being pushed entirely out of the notches and catching on the outside of the tube thereby pre- 4 venting the springs from assuming a normal position after the ball has passed into the tube.

These tips I 0 also prevent the fingers 9 from scratching or cutting the surface of the golf balls as they are pushed into the tube. Once in the tube the ball nearest the lower end rests on the tips In which holds said ball from pushing back down past the fingers especially when a large number of balls are in the tube and resting on this lowest ball.

The construction of this golf ball retriever prevents any and all damage to the spring elements which might occur when the tube is pressed or jammed against the ground when picking up golf balls. As heretofore described; the spring elements, which terminate short of the end of the tube, operate through notches 6 cut around the periphery on the lower end of the tube. Thus, when a ball expands the springs I radially the fingers 9 move freely through the notches 6 irrespective of the fact that the end end of the tube may have contacted the ground. This is a great advantage and prevents damage from careless use by caddies or others jamming the retriever to the ground with excessive force.

When the retriever tube has been filled with balls and it is desired to use them again it is only necessary to turn down the bail l2, as shown in Figure 4, and then invert the tube to permit the balls to roll out one by one onto the ground. The bail l2 when upstanding, as in Figure 1, not only serves as a carrying handle but also prevents the balls from escaping from the tube when not in use.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted toas do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A ball retrieving and retaining device comprising an open ended tube to receive a row of balls in single file, yieldable means in the tube adjacent its lower end to permit a ball to be received into the tube from said end but preventing retractive movement of a ball once thus received, and a bail turnably mounted on the upper end of the tube and yieldably resisting tuming movement; said bail when upstanding serving both .as a bail and as a means to hold the balls against removal from the upper end of the tube but permitting of such removal when the bail is swung down.

2. A ball retrieving and retaining device comprising an open ended tube to receive a row of balls in single file order, said tube having a circumferential notch adjacent its lower end, a relatively long flat leaf spring extending down the outside of the tube to adjacent said lower end thereof and secured at its upper end on the tube, a finger formed with said spring on its lower end at an acute angle thereto and projecting through the notch, said finger normally extending upwardly in the tube at an acute angle to the axis of the tube; the diameter of said tube relative to a ball being such that when a ball is moved into the tube past the finger the upper end of the latter will be moved radially of the tube to adjacent the periphery thereof, and means on the finger to limit the radial movement of the finger to such position.

3. A structure as in the preceding claim, in which said last named means comprises a substantially vertical tip projecting upwardly from the finger and adapted, when said finger is pressed radially by a ball a certain distance, to

then contact with the inner wall of the tube above the notch.

IAN MACDONALD. 

